Engaging clinical partners using nominal group technique

BACKGROUND: In alignment with evolving accreditation standards, nursing education is shifting toward competency-based models that require students to demonstrate essential clinical competencies prior to graduation. PURPOSE: Recognizing the critical role of clinical partners in shaping practice readiness, this project employed the Nominal Group Technique (NGT) to engage clinical stakeholders in identifying and prioritizing key competencies for undergraduate nursing students. METHODS: Two virtual NGT sessions were conducted with nine participants representing eight healthcare organizations across diverse practice settings. RESULTS: Participants reached consensus (greater than 70% agreement) on 87 sub-competencies derived from the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) Essentials, with the greatest emphasis placed on Domain 2: Person-Centered Care and Domain 9: Professionalism. These findings highlight clinical partners' expectations for students to exhibit ethical, professional behaviors alongside individualized, safe patient care. CONCLUSION: The NGT method proved effective in promoting inclusive participation, structured discussion, and consensus-building within a limited timeframe. This approach offers a replicable model for nursing programs seeking to strengthen academic-practice collaboration and align curricula with real-world expectations. Limitations included uneven representation across clinical settings and constrained opportunities for in-depth discussion. Future work should explore segmented NGT sessions by specialty to ensure broader input across all spheres of care.